Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5, n-3) is an important fatty acid in the omega-3 family based on its medically established therapeutic capabilities against cardiovascular and other diseases. Fish oil as the main source of EPA has several limitations such as undesirable taste and odor, heavy metal contamination, potential shortage due to overfishing, variation in seasonal availability of source fish, and cost of production. Thus, it would be highly beneficial to identify and develop new sources of EPA. The Pythium family of microorganisms contains a number of strains that have the capacity to produce EPA. In particular, Pythium irregulare has been investigated extensively as a source for EPA, but no commercial process for production of a high EPA triacylglyerol oil from this source has been developed.
Due to the nutritional benefits of EPA (anti-inflammatory properties etc.) it would be advantageous to be obtain a triacylglycerol oil, from a species of the fungus/alga Pythium that contains a high (>10% of total fatty acids) content of EPA. In order to obtain such an oil it would be advantageous if this oil could be extracted from Pythium biomass containing high (>20% w/w) of the dry cell weight as lipid.